TITLE: Somebody That I Used To Know
AUTHOR: bolly69
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters or concept; they belong to the BBC/Ashley/Matthew, etc.
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Hi all! Thanks for sticking with this, we're on the home stretch now. This should have been the final chapter but I overwrote it so I've split it into two again, the final chapter won't be long behind.
I've loved writing this one and hope you've all enjoyed it – I don't aim to change the world, just make a few people smile for a little while.
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Chapter 10
Alex somehow found her way home, pushing her way through the Friday evening revellers, her legs driving her on even though she didn't know how; her tears falling and her sobs grating in her throat; the acute stabbing in her chest surely meant she was dying; all over again. Struggling to get the key into the lock, she finally flung open her door and stumbled inside, shedding her coat and shoes as she went, and grabbing the bottle of whisky from the kitchen on her way; nothing else for it other than to crawl into the bottom of a glass to try to stop this agony of her breaking heart.
She fell onto her sofa, sobbing in between gulps of whisky; crying for him, for her, for what they could never have; a life together, a family. Could she have handled him staying? To have him around all day, reminding her of the past, taunting her with those damned long dark lashes and his steel blue eyes peering into her soul, seeing the desire shine out from them; desire and want and need for her; she knew the really scary thing was that she felt that right back too, wanted him like she'd never wanted anyone before, could feel the longing in the pit of her stomach, aching through every fibre in her body; and that only served to make the pain of losing him that much worse.
She continued to drink and eventually sobbed herself into a drunken sleep, images of him troubling her dreams, jolting her awake. She blinked into the darkness that shrouded her living room, felt her face taut with dried tears and make-up, head splitting and throat dry, unsure of how long she'd been asleep. Crawling up to a sitting position, she brought her hands up to her pounding head, trying to quell the throb there and failing, feeling the wave of nausea sweep over her. She lurched into the bathroom, gripping the edge of the toilet as she wretched into it, her body expelling all it could to attempt to repair itself. Once the sickness had subsided she pulled herself up to the sink and filled a glass with cold water, sipping it slowly, fearing that it too would be ejected. She stared at her miserable reflection in the mirror, mascara streaks on her cheeks, black panda eyes, hollow and haunted; she looked old and weary. As her lip quivered with the threat of more tears, her eyes were drawn to something reflected behind her, folded neatly on the washing basket; black suit trousers and a white shirt; his discarded clothing. A sob escaped her lips and tentatively she turned and lifted the shirt to her nostrils; his smell was still there, smoke, whisky, musky aftershave, him.
She cried, broke her heart, and unsteadily swayed back to the sofa, settling herself at one end with her knees drawn up in comfort, hugging his shirt to her chest, hiding in the darkness from the pain and her breaking heart, from a life without him. She stared out of her window at the city, so alive with blinking lights and bodies going about their business, ignorant to her despair and agony; how dare they continue on with their lives when her world was in tatters, her heart in pieces.
Alone in her misery with only the sound of her sobs echoing around her flat she thought she heard a tap at the door, but shrugged it off; another trick of her still injured brain, trying to distract her from wallowing…
The second knock was firmer, more definite. Confused and trying to swallow down her sobs Alex padded to the door, and opened it slowly.
And there he was; as large as life at her door; backlit by the hall light, his hair golden like a halo above him. She gasped, some kind of whimper escaped from her chest, and she felt her legs give way beneath her, "Gene…" she managed to whisper before darkness enveloped her, and strong hands caught her before she hit the floor.
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The flat was in darkness when Gene arrived, still unsure of what he was doing here, and he listened at the door before summoning up the courage to knock. When she finally opened it his heart ached as he saw the make-up traces on her face, saw how small and broken she was; hated that he had caused this. And then he caught her, stopped her falling; saved her once again. He carried her to the sofa in the darkness, gently placing her down and switching on a table lamp, casting a soft glow over her, and sat next to her, stroking her face, trying to erase the traces of tears, the pain she had suffered.
Slowly blinking open her eyes, Alex stared in disbelief at him, "Am I… am I dreaming? Are you really here with me?" she lifted a trembling hand and traced along his cheek.
"I'm here Bolls, really here… to stay if you'll have me…"
"Wha… But how…?" she tried to sit up, but her head hadn't stopped spinning just yet.
He dropped his shoulders and shook his head, "I don't know Alex, I honestly don't. One minute I'm about to go into the Arms and the next Nelson's telling me he's fixed it so I can stay," he brought his gaze back up to her, "a reprieve, for as long as we need…"
"We?... you can stay here… with me…?" a sob caught in her throat.
"Yeah. If you'll have me; if you want me to…"
She reached up to him, half pulling him down to her, "You had me at 'armed bastards'…" she smiled at him, relief washing over her, something far stronger overwhelming her.
"I'll have to find a place to live of course, but there's a part-time job for me at your place apparently; Nelson arranged it all, he always was a smart arse"
"You can stay here…"
He shook his head slowly, "No love, you and Molly live here, I couldn't…"
She silenced him with a finger on his lips, "If you want to, you are most welcome to stay here, to live here with us Gene. Molly has her own life and has a very active social life, and she'd understand completely; she's been telling me for long enough to meet someone nice," she paused, "and frankly I have no intention of letting you out of my sight now…"
He pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her, nuzzling into her hair and closing his eyes, afraid to believe any of this.
She moved back a little, her glassy eyes gazing into his, and gently brushed her lips against his, then more firmly, lips parting, tongues searching, probing, duelling against each other.
His hands moved up and down her back, tracing exquisite circles, while her fingers pushed up into his hair, holding his head to hers, capturing him.
Suddenly he stopped abruptly, pulling back. Alex panicked, what had gone wrong? Gene stood and turned away, walked over to the wooden table at the far end of the living room and paused, doing something there.
"Gene…?"
Smiling, he turned back to her, his voice low and gravelly, "I believe we have some unfinished business Bolls…"
It was then that she saw what he had been doing; her iPod sat in the speaker dock, lit up. Gene pressed 'play' and walked towards her.
As soon as the first few guitar chords played she knew what it was, what he was doing. Slowly she lifted her face up to him, the corners of her mouth turning up into a smile, her huge hazel orbs glistening under her lashes, blinking up at him, lovingly, knowingly, and filling with tears again. "I remember…"
Ah ah ah ahh ahh
Ah ah ah ahh ahh
Smiling back at her, Gene held out his hand, "let's have a dance"
Alex was stunned, but placed her hand in his and stood from the sofa, remembering more, "But Gene Hunt does not dance…"
"No, and he doesn't give up his afterlife for anyone either does he?" his voice was no more than a low growl that reverberated through her as he pulled her to him. They started to move with the music, and he sniffed, gazing down at her, "couldn't find any Herb Alpert on that thing so this will have to do"
"Good" she whispered, and smiled as she placed her head onto his shoulder, closing her eyes, living in this moment, swaying with him.
So true, funny how it seems,
Always in time, but never in line for dreams
Head over heels when toe to toe
This is the sound of my soul
This is the sound
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Thanks for reading! ;-)
Next chapter to follow soon!
Thanks to Ash & Matt for giving us fantastic characters to play with, to whatever ends…
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